6th Grade Expectations

Miss Bettina Oesch

bettina@moabcharterschool.org
801-870-3647 (call or text)

Hello Sixth Grade Families!

This packet is about how our Sixth Grade class works, including how to best
communicate your questions, concerns, and absences. These are the years
expectations and I thank you for your support and best efforts to meet
them! We have the top dogs in school, and are readying ourselves for the
big move up to Middle School! How Exciting! Lets start

Contacting Miss Bettina Oesch:

Email is the #1 method. Please email me your questions or concerns, and
we can schedule an appointment to meet if necessary. A phone call or text
message should be a secondary means of contacting me, or when there
is an emergency. If students have a question with homework for the
evening, a phone call would be appropriate! I want to help! Im always
able to schedule a time to meet with you.
-Need an English translator? We can provide contacts through the
Moab Valley Multicultural Center
(http://www.moabvalleymulticulturalcenter.org/)

Our Open Classroom:

Our classroom doors are always open to family! We want you to see what
cool things weve got going on, and we love helpers. Please sign into the
office before coming into the classroom to check us out, or to volunteer.
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Volunteering:
I appreciate any and all help. Just let me know if you ever wish to be in the
classroom helping in someway, or if I can call on you for some busy work for
home. Volunteers will be contacted by email when needed! Be ready!

Going to be Absent?
If you know youre going to absent or late in advance for any length of time,
please let me and the main office know ASAP. I can then find a way to
support your child in what he or she will be missing in school. Please Carbon
Copy (CC:) me to any absence notification emails sent to Shauna in the
main office: shauna@moabcharterschool.org

Being On Time.
Morning Circle begins at 8:15am sharp! All students should be punctual,
especially when 6th grade is in charge of leading with a learned song, skit,
quote, or whatever. Our schools Pledge of Respect and the national Pledge
of Allegiance will be spoken by all (parents are welcomed to join for that
initial 10 minutes). 6th grade will also be in charge this year of raising our
National Flag every morning, and taking it down at the end of each school
day. I am required to turn in attendance forms to the main office by 8:30am.
Your student will be marked tardy if not there by the time attendance is
taken.

Grading and Report Cards:

Grades and reports will be kept track of in ASPIRE. All parents and students
may access their account, via the link on our school website. Our schools
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office staff can answer any questions about your childs account access.
Student report cards will be released at the end of each trimester.
Scoring will be appropriated to students mastery of 6 th grade content, and
those with IEPs will be appropriated.

Student Portfolio Binders:

Students will be keeping a binder aimed to monitor their development
academically and physically over 6th grade. Your childs will be saved here,
as well as their documented physical changes through portraits and
measuring. This binder will also be a place to record and track personal
goals.

Home Learning:
Its not physically possible to attend to every educational requirement
during a school day and some skills need to be revisited at home. Therefore,
home learning will be a part of 6th grade life, but hopefully not an allconsuming one. Here is what you can expect this year in regards to
home learning (homework):
A typical home learning load will include some combination of the following
items:
- Nightly Reading 20-30 minutes (Reading Logs are initialed by
caretakers and turned in weekly). Listening to your child read, or
having you read to them is strongly encouraged.
- Daily Math from Go Math practice book that was not finished in class
or needs to be re-visited. Many students will finish their Math in class
and will not have nightly homework.
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- Weekly word activities, pertaining to vocabulary, spelling, and Latin

roots.
- Short-term, or long-term Project work will be assigned with known
due-dates for pacing.
I provide verbal & written reminders about the home learning
(homework) in class, but ultimately it is the students responsibility
to take home all necessary materials and to hand it in when its
due. In other words, I wont be packing or removing home learning
from their bags for them. Help your child be prepared for the upcoming
Middle School Work Load and Organizational skills needed to be successful!
They should maintain a take-home folder and a simple daily planner.

I) Reading Logs:
We want each child to become a more fluent and accurate reader, and to
help them become stronger writers. We will have in-class time dedicated to
reading novels, and other texts pertaining to our unit of study, in addition to
paired reading times.
- Your student needs to be reading at least 20 -30 minutes, at
least 4 nights a week.
- Please have your children fill in their own Reading Logs and
receive your initial when completed. Reading Logs will be
turned in every Friday. Please make sure they have a variety of
reading materials available or we can discuss checking books out from
the class library. As a family member, Its good to listen to your
children read aloud to you on a regular basis, and even better when
you can ask questions and check for their understanding. This will help
build fluency, comprehension, and improve their speech.

II) Math:

My goal is for each child to gain an understanding of the required math

concepts and I will go above and beyond to make sure no one is feeling left
behind. Math is one of those things that can be taught through music, art,
movement, construction, etc. We will find what makes each child tick, and
go from there!
- We will be using the Go Math curriculum as a baseline, and any
other useful resources I can get my hands on (including online
resources). Student WILL NOT be tearing out math sheets from their
notebooks, so parents/students can see everything in a chronological
order and could revisit struggling topics at home..
-There will be a math aide every morning for an hour, and extra math
interventions held every Monday and Wednesday afternoon for those
needing extra support.
-After School Tutoring is always an option. For more
information, contact:
Kari Han (our after school coordinator):
afterschool@moabcharterschool.org

III) Projects:
There will be a few projects assigned as homework this year.
Generally these are enjoyable, creative projects that provide a good
opportunity for families be involved. Some will be small missions that
need to be accomplished, others will be more drawn out and require hands
on work. I will provide support, materials, and adequate time for
students to complete these assignments. If technology is every an
issue, please contact me and we will find a solution.

Keeping Track of Online Resources:

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Book mark it! Well keep a list of our favorite resources in one place. How
sweet is that!?
Add your useful links from your end at any time! The bigger the list, the
better, but dont forget to write a description of what its for.
Visit:

http://my.bookmax.net/bookmarks
User name:

schoolrocks

Password: bookmark
Account Holder:
bettina@moabcharterschool.org
Other Information about Sixth Grade:
Sixth grade is a big year for students as they are no longer little kids at school, rather
top dogs. For this reason the school experience will be a bit more rigorous and
students may be facing more personal challenges and responsibility than in previous
years as they prepare themselves for middle school. I place a lot of emphasis on
teamwork and cooperative learning as well as providing opportunities for self-directed
and individualized projects. I try to keep things as hands on as possible and to teach
concepts in a variety of ways to meet different learning styles.

This year we will spend a lot of time reading, analyzing, and processing information. We
will build stamina and focus while writing and reading a variety of different novels.
Language Arts will be tied (as much as possible) into Social Studies and Science. In
Social Studies we will be looking at the world! Well be learning about Ancient
Civilizations; the Middle Ages and Renaissance; Revolutions and Human Rights, and the
Modern World (19th century to present day). In Science we will be exploring the nature
of science and engineering concepts with our units involving Heat, Light, and Sound;
Reasons for Earths seasons, theMoon Cycle, and Microorganisms. A school science fair
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will be hosted in the spring and all upper-elementary students are encouraged to
participate in the optional project (and will be conducted at home, not at school).
6th grade is also obliged to cover the following programs:.

- D.A.R.E Program: Sometime in January, we will have a D.A.R.E

teacher come in for a 45 minute lesson on teaching students good
decision-making skills to help them lead safe and healthy lives for a
duration of 10-weeks.

Class Website: http://redrockdragons.weebly.com

Some home learning will be posted here, and will serve as a class
portfolio and reflection blog space for students.

This has been a lot of information! Pat yourself on the back for reading
through it all. We are going to have a wonderful year!
Sincerely,

- Miss O